Strictly’s Claudia Winkleman supporting AJ Pritchard and Abbie Quinnen after burns horror following daughter’s accident
CLAUDIA Winkleman has been supporting ex-Strictly colleague AJ Pritchard in the wake of girlfriend Abbie Quinnen’s burns horror following her family’s own fire disaster in 2014.
Presenter Claudia, 49, reached out to the couple after The Sun on Sunday revealed Abbie, 23, had been engulfed in flames in a freak accident, leaving her in need of three skin grafts and putting her career in jeopardy.
The pair were filming a life hack video showing their million Instagram followers how to cut a glass bottle in half to use it as a vase.
The risky trick involves dipping a rope in a flammable chemical, wrapping it around the bottle and setting it alight.
Their attempt ended in the bottle blowing up, sparking a fireball that overwhelmed Abbie.
The incident has chilling echoes of when Claudia witnessed her daughter Matilda catch fire after her Halloween costume brushed against a candle while Trick or Treating.
Witnesses described the then-eight-year-old as “turning into a crackling ball of flame” within seconds, leaving her with severe burns on her legs.
A source said: “Claudia was horrified when she heard about the accident and reached out straight away to send her best wishes to AJ and Abbie.
“While they may no longer work together, as far as Claudia’s concerned, AJ will always be part of the Strictly family and it was her moral duty to rally around him, especially considered she has been through something similar.”
Claudia described Matilda’s accident as “life-changing”, adding: “I can’t remember life before it.”
She said: “[Matilda] ‘went up’ is the only way I can describe it - it was a spark, and she screamed out for me.
“Everyone was screaming. She was screaming, all the kids there were screaming.”
Last March, she revealed she turned to friend and clinical psychologist Tanya Byron for help after suffering terrifying flashbacks to the disaster.
She said: “They come at you like a bull. Like a tsunami, it’s so enormous you think you’re going to drown. So you have to shove it to one side.”
The source added: “Claudia knows only too well the trauma both Abbie and AJ have suffered and how long the road to recovery, both physically and mentally will be.
“She wanted to not only be there in the moment but make it clear she will always be on hand to guide them through the aftermath and give recommendations for professional health.”
Claudia successfully campaigned for stricter fire safety guidelines on children’s fancy dress costumes in the wake of the incident and continues to push for them to be legally enforced.
She has said that in her memory it “feels like [Matilda] was on fire for hours,” comments echoed by AJ, 26, who told The Sun on Tuesday: “It felt like time stopped for me. What was seconds felt like hours to put out the flames.”
The I’m a Celebrity star added of Abbie’s January accident: “What is scary was that helplessness... It is very traumatic. Certain nights, I do wake up and think about what’s happened.”